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about the milk cliff with candy crowley. the "the situation room" with wolf blitzer begins right now. >> this is a special edition of "the situation room." >> it has now been more than a week since we learned the devastating news of the massacre at the sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut. today, we'll remember the victims. we'll also go in depth on where the investigation stands, and talk with dr. sanjay gupta and drew pinsky, about what medical science has learned about the mind of a killer. we'll also look ahead of where do we go from here? especially when it comes to the right to bear arms in the united states, and what president obama called the nation's epidemic of gun violence.

we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. we begin our special edition of "the situation room" by focusing in on the search for answers. why? why would a 20-year-old man kill his mother, then gun down 20 children and six adults at the sandy hook elementary school before taking his own life? why? police are not the only ones pouring over the evidence, exploring answers. medical investigators are all over this case as well. let's go to our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. he is joining us now. now, sanjay, you have been taking a very close look, potentially at the mind of a killer. >> yeah, and that question, why, wolf that you ask, it is hard to say for sure whether there is ever going to be a satisfactory answer to that.

but there are several things that medical experts and investigators are going to look at, including specific patterns. we looked at ten of the most widely studied cases, tragedies, i should say in history. and take a look at what we found. first thing you notice when you look around newtown, everyone has that questioning look, why? what did we miss, if anything? no answers yet. just hindsight. to try to make some sense of the tragedy here in newtown, be connecticut, medical investigators are also looking at evidence of patterns, not talking about clothes or even life-style, but rather looking for evidence of specific plans could give some clues as to what was happening in the person's mind and in their brain. it is hard to know, because thankfully, there are relatively few tragedies like this one. but a close look at ten of the most analyzed mass murder cases in history provide remarkable insight.

according to this journal, doctors typically start by placing these killers into three categories. traumatized, psychotic, in 2008, nine people were killed in minnesota. a look in his past revealed an abused boy with an awful family history. the shooter had been previously traumatiz traumatized. the virginia tech shooter murdered people, six lives were taken at a movie theater in colorado. in each case, the person showed signs of severe psychotic behavior and they were paranoid. 13 people were killed in colorado. one of the murderers was found out to be a psychopath. none of them had snapped. they had all left clues, pieced together after it was too late. we still don't know much about the shooter who lived in this home. but there is something else to

consider. what medications, if any, he was on. and specifically, talking about antidepressants. if you look at the studies in other shootings like this that have happened, medications like this were a common factor. now, i want to be clear. not saying that antidepressants can't be effective. but research shows that there is a key between when somebody starts and stops, and decreased judgment and making somebody out of touch. none of this is an excuse, and it is never just one thing. none of these behaviors will fully predict or explain why. but soon again, there will be hind sight that might just help prevent another tragedy. and i should point out, wolf, as well, with regard to the medications as a part of that study, over a seven-year period, 11,000 episodes of violence due to drug side effects, specifically. but it is worth noting that most

of the time the violence was directed for themselves, and much more common for it to lead to a suicide versus a homicide, and certainly not a mass homicide. >> the fact that this was a mass suicide, did the fact the killer took his own life say anything about his mental state? >> well, there are no hard and fast rules, let me preface with that. there is something worth considering here, if you have a notion that what you're doing is wrong, right and wrong, you think that it is wrong, it could be more likely to end up in a suicide. you know, people for example in arizona with jared laughner, it was not clear to him why he was being arrested. james holmes, it speaks to a delusional state, with complete loss of reality. the people who do kill themselves, it gives an idea that they could distinguish right versus wrong.

and also the planning speaks to this, as well, again, there are no hard and fast rules, but these are questions that medical examiners will be asking. >> let me ask you to stand by, sanjay, because we're going to go through medical questions. sanjay gupta reporting, i reported in newtown, connecticut. i saw so much strength at the same time. we're bringing you personal looks of the 26 victims at the sandy hook elementary school. and the people who loved them so much. cnn's poppy harlow spoke with the boyfriend of the teacher, lauren russeau. >> thanks for robbing off on me. >> reporter: 30 and in love, tony lusardi, and lauren russeau. do you remember the moment you knew you were in love with her? >> yes, the first date i had with her, i knew. >> reporter: at a wine bar where

they shared their first kiss, lauren called him lovie, he called her "busy bee." one of those people that didn't have a mean bone in her body. >> she didn't want to honk her horn in traffic, she thought it would be mean. >> reporter: lauren liked to send cards like this. >> she said it made her laugh. >> reporter: these silly photos taken at a friend's wedding, exactly two months before lauren died. >> this is the second try, making funny faces. there was like a first one. she was like, i don't have a funny face. >> reporter: they just celebrated one year of dating in november. >> i'm really glad that i had a relationship that was really good for a year. >> reporter: exactly the same month she became a permanent substitute teacher at sandy hook elementary school. >> she was thrilled and loved to tell me what she was doing that week. she would send a text, we're

doing this or that, and send tons of pictures. >> reporter: they were planning to see "the hobbitt" on friday night. but the last text tony got from lauren was at 8:58. >> it doesn't seem real or permanent, and finite. >> reporter: you think you may see her again. >> i'm convinced i'll see her again. i have like a little squish pillow, that is like a little pillow for your head that she had. it smells like her head, her picture fumes. >> it still does? >> when i wake up in the morning, i can smell my girlfriend's perfume, and it makes me cry. >> reporter: the love of his life, is how the obituary describes her. >> i only got one year with her. it is like bad to say, but i'm jealous of her friends that got more than one year. all i got was one. but it was a really good year. >> reporter: you hugged

president obama when he was here sunday night? >> yeah, but i want a hug from lauren, you know, and i'm not going to get that. >> reporter: i know. it is this song they both loved. and this song that will always remind tony of his lauren. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i love the way you say good morning ♪ >> i want the world to know that lauren was a great person. she touched the lives of everyone she ever met, even if you only met her once. you liked her. she was a great person. and she didn't deserve this. no one deserved this. >> reporter: and poppy is joining us now, lauren was buried, as you know on thursday, you got a chance to speak with tony about the funeral. what did he tell you? >> reporter: he told me, wolf, that it was beautiful and that it was touching. and then he asked if i was wearing purple, because he said that is lauren's favorite color. she gave tony christmas gifts

already, the prepared teacher, as ever. and they're wrapped. and i asked tony, have you unwrapped them. and he said no, and i can't because this makes this all too real. wolf? >> all right, poppy, thank you very much for that report, what a moving report it was. multiply that by many. the man who became the face of this shooting investigation told me how difficult it was for him and the other first responders to see the horrific crime scene. and the father of the virginia tech university shooting victim, tells me of his experience coping with unspeakable loss. by switching to geico...they may even make you their best man. may i have the rings please? ah, helzberg diamonds. nice choice, mate. ...and now in the presence of these guests we join this loving couple. oh dear...

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tragedy like this? >> training, training, constant, constant, training things you hope you will never have to use, just like the side arm that i wear, you hope you never have to use it. you have to train, you have to prepare, because when you get to a scene or situation, even the scene of this magnitude, you have to act. and there is no time. >> because you have emerged as the chief spokesperson. you're telling not only people here, but all over the world what is going on. it must take a toll on you. >> it does. but our training prepares us to work through those issues. to go through something like that is devastating, it is truly devastating, because we're only human. and we think about the families, we think about these children and we think about the people that lost their leaveives, we t about the teachers who protected those children. but all of these things, you have to move them aside and process, and do what you're trained to do. >> and you met with the families

of these victims, 20 kids six educators, that must have been one of the most difficult things you have ever done in your life. >> i was a part of it, but quite frankly, the people assigned to work with them, the one-on-one's, the interviewers that had to sit with the people, those were very hard jobs to do. there were so many people that played such a major role in this whole situation that it really was spread out among many. >> i know the whole thing has been painful. painful for all of us who have been here. i can only man what the families were going through. but is there one moment that stands out in your mind that you will never forget the rest of your life? >> i think the crime scene itself is something has made an indelible mark on our minds. if you were tasked with the

responsibility of going into the crime scene, it is something you will never be able to erase. >> you mean, when you walked into the sandy hook elementary school and you saw the bodies of little kids on the floor? >> yes. >> how can you -- that must be so shocking and traumatic? >> it is an indelible mark that will never go away. >> you never saw anything like that before in your life? >> no. >> you have been to a lot of crime scenes? >> yes. >> this was the most horrific, by far? >> yes. >> let's make sure it never happens again. it will happen again, you know that, i know that, what can we do to reduce the chances of this happening again? >> well, i think everyone has looked at this scene, this situation. we're always prepared, even when we were younger, for fire drills. we prepared for emergencies within the school. i think that is a constant thing that we're always going to do in our educational system.

and review, re-review, see how we can make sure we continue to make our most precious children as safe as we can make them. we have to -- we worked through 9/11, and we continued, life went on. i don't want to simplify anything, but we have got to work through this. >> do we need a national commission to take a look at school safety? >> that is above me, that is above me. i know on a local leader, our town leaders, our state leaders are all going to continuously look at safety to make sure the school children are always safe. >> lieutenant vance, let me thank you and all the people who have done so much, we want to thank you as journalists and citizens, and learning what is going on. you have done an outstanding job. >> thank you. >> president obama issued a call to stop america's epidemic, he said "epidemic," of gun violence. up next, i'll ask dr. drew

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president obama pointed to vice president joe biden to head a special task force on gun violence, charged with developing a specific agenda the president could submit to congress next month. >> each one of these americans was a victim of the everyday gun violence that takes the lives of more than 10,000 americans every year. violence that we cannot accept as routine. so i will use all the powers of this office to help advance efforts aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. and i'm not going to be able to do it by myself. ultimately, if this effort is to succeed it is going to require

the help of the american people. >> let's bring in dr. drew pinsky from our sister network, "hln," dr. pinsky, if president obama were to charge you with developing specific recommendations, what would you tell him? >> well, first of all i would tell him it is not just about guns. it is about our crisis with mental health. and let me just step back, about our leaders, and the suffering in connecticut. we needed to get the leaders to be there. rudy giuliani led the people out of new york, that is the kind of leadership we need to do. today, i feel like we had those leaders doing something, that we need to gather as a country and help them take action. and all they're asking for is

rationality. how many among us would say it is okay to have 100 rounds of clips in a banana, that is just not rationale, they're talking about people with the opportunity to take away massive, massive amounts of loss. and i think reasonable people will say that is something we can get behind. and thank you, president obama for being clear you are going to take action and you need our help. but it is not just about the guns. i tell you, on my program, we're getting deep with what to do about people and family members, people with mental illness that are out of control. there is woeful resources in our country, people cannot get conservativeship. there is no state hospital or structure. and i would say president obama please, please, there is so much more to be done here than just guns. and this is our opportunity, and connecticut is just a symptom. >> and the president made it clear, he agrees with you.

it is not just guns that are an issue, even though he did say you have to deal with military type assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition clips, background checks for gun purchasers. those are important. but he also did call to deal with this committee, this joe biden committee that should look at the mental health care we have in this country. how that could contribute to the gun violence. >> he glossed on it, he did. >> all the terms, those are issues he wants the committee to raise, as well. >> i hope, i'm sorry but i hope they don't spend too much time on that. because i don't believe that that is something that policy is going to determine. i do believe that those of us in the media can take a good hard look at that and should be more responsible with it and should be educating people about that. but i'm not sure that is a policy issue. that is a cultural issue, and media is a big part of culture. he did gloss over the culture issues. i was again, not overwhelmingly

excited about the gently used gloss he talked about on it. he talked about the privacy issue in the background checks, even so far as checking for if there were legal problems. but i say we have to have rational -- just if we are rational with guns, we have to be rational about our privacy. if somebody has a history of mental illness that makes them have a probability of being predisposed to acting out, the safety of the community should take precedence over the privacy rights in our system. and that will mean changes in our legal system. >> and can government and society take actions to prevent another shooting? back in january, 2011, 33% said yes, now that is up to 46%. so there is clearly a desire, maybe the aftermath of the past few days, a desire for the

government to really step up. >> yes, wolf, i think absolutely, this is the time. i saw a commentary, please let's back off and let the families mourn. no, that is wrong, the families need us to take action on this, so the loved ones should not have died in veiain, our sentiments, to gather, as i keep telling everybody, making a difference, service, faith, connection to other people. that is going to get us through. and here, now is an opportunity for us all to gather as a community and make a difference. >> six years ago, one father shared with me the wrenching loss of his daughter in the virginia tech massacre. now he has some advice for the parents of the children killed in newtown. plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough.

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concerned. i kept it internally, because i always tried to have hope, and hold out hope. and so did my wife and children. but i was all the time thinking the worst was happening to her. >> and you were not getting any information from the campus, from authority here, from campus officials or the police or hospitals or anything? >> no one really could put the names of the victims with their ids. as they were taken out of the room. so if they couldn't speak, for some reason or another they didn't know who they were. we called the hospitals. and that is how i did my homework. she was not on any list of injured or wounded. and so the morgue was the next natural place to call. >> did you actually go there? >> no, we did not go there. they didn't allow us to go there. and they were not releasing any names until they could do a positive id. >> and so what time did you get the confirmation of this

horrible, horrible news. >> probably around an hour later, it was actually a young fellow on campus, a friend who was at the building at a time. and he knew the ambulance drivers, and he is the one that came in and broke the news to me. >> and we don't understand why this could happen. >> that is right. >> why bad things happen to good people. >> absolutely, we just believe, and we hope, that you know -- and i grieve for the other families, too. it is senseless. >> joining us here, he is the father of rima, thank you very much. i'm sorry -- living through this, once again, but first of all, how are you doing? >> fine, it is trauma, for all the families, the victims and survivors of our tragedy, as well. and i'm sure of the other tragedies across the country. you know, just two days prior to newtown, there was a mall massacre, we had forgotten about

that. there was northern illinois university and the other schools. and we just can't forget them. and i know those families are re-traumatized, as well. >> your son, omar, how is he doing? >> he is doing well, he is very active in public safety issues. what has come out of this tragedy, that is something that is amazing. and i want to tell the families in newtown, there is hope. >> there is hope, so you say when you heard the news of these 20 little first graders gunned down in newtown, friday morning, six educators, all children and women, what was your reaction? >> just numbness, horror, you swell up, your eyes just tear up. and you say not again, when will it ever again? and what can we do to make it not happen again, or make it harder for it not to happen again? >> because you lived through this horror, so -- >> yes. >> if any of these parents are watching, what advice do you have for them? >> well, i will tell you, wolf,

that these families in newtown, the sandy hook school families are on islands right now. the issues that we're talking about, the social issues we're talking about, the gun debate, we're talking about security in schools. that is a vortex swirling around them right now. their immediate attention is themselves, between themselves, inter-family relationships. they're worried about, you know, what clothes they're going to put on their children to bury them, much less worry about what is going on, on the gun issue. >> what do they expect, what do you expect they will have to endure in the coming months? >> i expect now that they're on these islands, there have to be bridges built to these islands. and there is a lot of love and care going into that. they will reach out to each other. they will form, hopefully, a support group among themselves to deal with this tragedy. at some point in time, the -- you know, the issue of politics

will come into this. but they're not ready for that right now. they will look among themselves and say what can we do about this tragedy? and what can we build as a living legacy for our children? for those diamonds in the sky. >> and the immediate -- over anesthesiologi these past, almost five or six years, just walk us through the different transitions that you have gone through. >> well, the transitions can be, again, some people take action, some people take a spiritual road and some people take a political road. in my family, personally, we took both roads, my wife took a spiritual road and i took the political road, what will i do about this tragedy? the important thing these families need to do is continue to hold hands even though they're on parallel and different paths, because they will later say, what do we do?

some people will just go home and turn out the lights, that is the worst thing to do, we need to form a support group to help. >> rima was your youngest, remind us a little bit about rima. >> rima, i hear it over and over again, one of the dads, robert walker, speaking about his daughter, that was me, wanting the world to know how lovely and beautiful she was. and i cannot but reflect on the others that were killed as well, and their beautiful lives. which you will find, wolf, is a vein that flows through the bodies of all of these children and their families. they're very beautiful and loving people, and their children. >> tell us about the foundation you have started to help deal with campus security. because your daughter, like others, it was the worst school massacre in american history. the virginia tech massacre, tell us about your foundation and what you're doing.

>> i will, it is tough to rank the tragedies. >> we're talking about the numbers -- >> exactly. >> well, you know, a number of families sat around the tables two months after the tragedy and our tears and grief, and said what can we do about this? our first thought went to the survivors of the tragedy, what do we do to help them? what do we do to help ourselves our ptsd which will last forever? our lives are changed forever. and the second thing we said is, what will we do as a living legacy for those killed? and we decided as a time, we would form this foundation as a support group, and then we -- our program for 32 national campus safety index evolved. we sat around saying what are we going to do as a living legacy, and this index, which will grade schools and universities on various criteria among them, the

mental health support that they get at universities. among them sharing of information, very important if you have a problem child in a school. and also threat assessment teams. so there are 32 criteria. and schools will be ranked by those criteria. we could talk about the hardware, which are the locks on the doors and the glasses and how we're going to build these buildings. but we have to talk about the software, how do we take care of these children from elementary school all the way through university? there is a continuing element we need to talk about. >> really important outreach foundation, that people need to get in touch. we put it up there, mr. samah, what can i say? i wish the situation were different, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with your viewers, especially right now.

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>> the national rifle association broke its silence a week after the shootings, proposing putting armed guards at every single school in the united states. lisa sylvester has more on this sensitive issue. >> reporter: earl curtis takes aim with an assault rifle. he is the owner of the blue ridge gun store in virginia. curtis says since the newtown shoot i shootings, gun owners have been getting a bad ran. >> when the gun ban happened, that really didn't curb crime either. so like i said, whether you cut it down the five, one, still does the same damage, which is bad. okay?

what we need to do is teach gun safety and education, also take care of mental health issues. >> reporter: there are new calls in washington to bring back the assault weapons ban and other gun control measures. that is having an impact here. one of of the things we're seeing is a run on some gun supplies. this rack here used to be filled with magazines like this. but because of concerns of gun control laws, you can see they're all gone. supporters say it is not harder to get ahold of the weapon, but looking at beefing up school security. they say arming teachers is one option that should at least be considered. >> i know there has been a knee jerk reaction against that. i think there should at least be a discussion of that. if people were armed, not just a police officer but other school officials that were trained, and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would have been an opportunity to stop aggressors coming into the

school. >> reporter: state senator frank nice nicely wants more officers in the school, including on the elementary school level. and if that is not an option, then he, too, says arm the teachers. >> the goal is to have some kind of security in all the schools. and the ones that afford a resource officer that would be the first step. and we would have other options for other volunteers, or trained staff. >> reporter: but talk of putting more guns in schools, that has been roundly criticized. the president of the brady campaign for gun violence saying it is insane, and will lead to more violent acts. >> not saying that the only answer that we have to violence is more violence. and that the only answer that we have to guns is more guns. and think about where that vision leads us. >> reporter: and school security expert greg crane adding there is a high risk that innocent

bystanders could be hurt. >> do you want that in an environment? that a is a situation that has to be addressed. i don't think it is the only situation. >> reporter: i asked earl curtis if he thought it was a good idea to arm principals and teachers. he did not. he said you really need somebody who knows what they're doing and has the training, maybe just police officers. but to put people in charge of guns with no training, is a big problem. >> many of us saw, felt it first hand, we'll reflect when we come back. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. on any new volkswagen. excuse me, sir i'm gonna have to ask you to

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it has been an unimaginable

week of pain and suffering, not just in newtown, but all across the country. many of us saw it firsthand. let's talk about it, our kate baldwin was in newtown, as well as our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta. both had a chance to see what was going on. kate, first, let me ask you, was there something in your mind that stood out? >> i think we'll never forget the sense of community when we were there. the sense of grief and despair that was just there everywhere you went. the moment i sat down with robert and diane, their 6-year-old son, aiden was in victoria soto's classroom, we know she was shot and killed by the gunman along with students in that classroom. when we sat down, we talked about many things, when they

said how difficult it would be to talk to aiden about how their teacher was not coming back. >> he keeps talking about her. and he really, really cared about his teacher. he was close to her, and she loved that class, and he keeps saying, i really hope she is okay. i hope it's not her. he knows that she is hurt, but he does not know the end result. he knows the kids that he saw getting shot, he doesn't know the how can, so i think he is reassuring himself in his 6-year-old mind, i know he is processing it. but he is telling himself that it will be okay. >> beyond that, i suspend time with robert and diane, just

seeing young aiden, 6 years old, acting like a 6-year-old, wearing his pjs and showing off his kung fu moves. it struck me not only that he is just 6 years old, but then to think of the horror that he witnessed and also how horrible it is that there's so many kids his age that are gone now. >> it's a shocking situation, s a anjay, i know you were powerfully moved by mr. parker who lost his daughter, emily pa parker. we saw him on saturday night. let me play a clip. >> she was the person that could light up a room. she always had something kind to say about anybody.

and her love and the strength that she gave us and the example that she showed us is remarkable. she is an incredible person. and i'm so blessed to be her dad. >> what a beautiful little girl, i know you have daughters around the same age, and you were -- you were moved really strongly by what we with heard. >> yeah, just such a, so, still painful to watch and to hear robbie just that visceral, gut wrenching pain. you know, wolf, it's tough, anybody who has kids, people ask, do you think about your own kids in wagzs like this. and of course, you do. but there was a couple of things in particular. this whole idea, the way he was describing emily, there was nothing in their world context that could explain to them what was happening when this tragedy

unfolded. i mean i know if it was my daughters they would be curious about this guy and want to say hello. for some reason that is heart breaking. you i think also this idea that it's not so much that you are thinking about your own kids when you go to a town like newtown, connecticut and you were there, you saw how small the community was and they all know he each other and take care of each other, it's not that you are thinking of your kids they are your kids. the kids in newtown was everyone's kids. that is what i've been thinking about quite a bit over the last few days. >> i was thinking about the make-shift memorials that sprung up all over newtown, especially the memorials that had little angels on them. when we think of the 20 kids, the 20 angels just walking down the street and we have got pictures there, you know -- >> so many things leave an impression on us. on everyone from this horrific tragedy.

what else stuck with you? >> what else stuck in my mind was when i met the clergy that were at the fire house where all the parents showed up. that is where they got word that their little kids were okay, they came out. right down the street. but there were 20 sets of parents that got horrible news. when i spoke with a rabbi and he described what it was like when these parents got the horrible news. >> it was there a moment yesterday when you were at the fire house with families that stands out that you will never forget? >> there's unshakeable images and that was when the news from the governor came that the kids did not make it. and the waling of the parents and the groeping and trying to

reach for something intangible, it was horrific. terrible scene. >> you can only imagine when you talks about the waling the groeping, what was going on in the fire house, are these people going to cope in the years to come? >> you know, losing a child is such an unnatural thing, you know, you do not expect to bury your own children, i don't think that they can recover from this. we have talked about studies. we have talked about how long post traumatic stress lasts. people who were exposed to it so closely, a significant percentage of people, 73% of people still had it in years gone by. we see this after other tragedies but there's a period now where there's a lot of support. there's a lot of media attention, family and friends

have all come together, but it doesn't last forever. so after a while, these people, you know, they are going through this period now a bit numb with all the support, but over a few months or weeks even, it starts to go away, it's a good reminder of people that want to give support to newtown. thank you for your reporting this week, kate, thanks to you as well. i know all of us, i don't think that -- any of us will be the same after what we experienced and certainly the people in newtown, connecticut will never be the same either. we will wrap thing up when we come back with a popular tv show that paid special tribute to the newtown victims, it's moving and i think you will want to see this. [ nyquil bottle ] you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers...

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